Tutorial: Make Your Very Own Book Store

K. S. Brooks' Book StorePeople ask me how to sell books from their web site. It’s easy, actually – there’s no stocking, shipping, or coding involved. All it takes is a one-time set-up using the aStore tools provided by Amazon.com. You can embed the store directly into your own web site, or if you don’t have your own web site, you can make the store a stand-alone and send people there. No matter which way you do it, it’s one more venue where you can sell your books – and you make a commission on top of it. Continue reading “Tutorial: Make Your Very Own Book Store”

Amazon.com: Use the Monster Part 1

Whether you think Amazon.com is too big for its own good, or not, doesn’t matter. As Indie authors, we’re all on it, and we all need it. One thing Amazon does do well is providing authors with tools to get the word out about their work(s). You’ve got to give them that.

But not all authors are taking advantage of the free tools offered by Amazon.com. Today, we’re going to start with Amazon Author Central pages – because this is the FIRST thing an author should do.

One way Amazon makes Author Central pages convenient is that you don’t need to set up a special author account. You can use your existing customer account log-in (if you’re already a customer). If you’re not, you can set up an account. This account is NOT linked to your Kindle Direct or Createspace accounts, if you have those. This is completely separate.

Before I show you how to claim and set up your author page, you’d probably like to know why you need one. #1 – they’re free. It’s like having your own multi-media website from which people can also buy your books. #2 – you can post your biography, video trailers and even rss feeds from your blog(s) and twitter there. #3 – you can post upcoming events, signings, appearances, etc. #4 – potential readers can post questions directly to you in the “discussions” forum. And lastly #5 – All your books will be linked to one page where people can see everything: how many books, how many reviews, and the cost. Here’s a screen shot of my Amazon.com Author Central page to give you an idea (click on it to enlarge): Continue reading “Amazon.com: Use the Monster Part 1”